A new report describes how Evil
Mattel toys accidentally featured a link to a pornographic website. Directed by John M. Chu, the next adaptation of the Evil musical chronicles the childhoods of two witches who will become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch of the North, as seen in The Wizard of Oz (1939). Evil trailers have already teased a return to the wondrous Land of Oz, plus stars Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, and merchandise for the film is being teased ahead of its theatrical release.
A new report from Variety now reveals that Mattel incorrectly printed a URL on the packaging to Evil toys, accidentally directing users to the website of Wicked Pictures, an adult entertainment company. Instead of directing users to WickedMovie.comThe Universal Pictures film’s official website, merchandise listed the URL as “wicked.com”. The incorrect URL appeared on the packaging of special edition dolls sold at Amazon, Target and Kohl’s, but it is still unknown how the error actually occurred.
The report includes information collected from Google Trends, revealing that searches for “wicked.com” in the last two days were the highest since mid-2012. In response to the error, Mattel released the following statement to Varietyrecognizing the situation:
“Mattel has become aware of a printing error on the packaging of Mattel’s ‘Wicked’ collection dolls, sold primarily in the US, which was intended to direct consumers to the official WickedMovie.com page. We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate steps to remedy it.
“Parents are advised that the incorrect and misprinted website is not appropriate for children. Consumers who already own the product are advised to discard the product packaging or hide the link and can contact Mattel Customer Service for more information.”
What the Wicked website mess means for the movie
How does this affect the Universal Pictures film?
It’s currently unclear how many toys were affected by the misprint, but Google Trends data suggests that some minors searched for and potentially viewed content on the porn company’s website. This is obviously a huge mistake on Mattel’s part, and it’s even worse considering that the toys accompany a film that’s intended to serve as fun, family-friendly entertainment. The company is now sure to be in damage control modeand it is possible that they will seek to make it right in some way with those who have been affected by the confusion.
The parents of any children who have been exposed to the site will certainly be quite upset, but the Wizard of Oz the previous film is unlikely to be affected to any great extent. The film is currently shaping up to be perhaps the biggest theatrical release in the second half of 2024, and is already expected to gross $85 million in its opening weekend, one of the strongest starts for a musical ever.
Our Take on Wicked’s Toy Mix
Marketing campaigns have a lot of moving parts
Merchandise is especially important for more familiar titlesand Mattel, as the company behind the creation of the Barbie doll, remains one of the biggest names in toys. Linking to a porn company’s website is certainly not a good idea for Mattel or for Evil.
The error, however, refers to the large number of moving parts in releasing a blockbuster film and the potential for a miscommunication to have major consequences. However Evil is certainly gearing up to take over movie theaters, some parents may want to check twice before buying their kids any merchandise tied to the film.
Source: Variety